The howling began before sunrise. Having stayed in jungle lodges in Costa Rica and Guatemala, we hoped that we would hear howler monkeys again. This time, it sounded like they were perched in the trees directly above our cabin. As it turned out, they probably were. The other-worldly sound of howler monkeys is hard to describe, a combination of wild animal and horror movie make-believe. During our 4 night stay at Lamanai, we saw and/or heard howlers every day, including a close-up encounter on our deck.
The Lamanai area has been protected for the past 30 years. While there is a village nearby, the lodge is situated on a large lagoon and feels very remote. There are only two ways in or out – via boat up the New River (our arrival) or via 4-seater Cessna (our departure).
The Lodge is located a short walk away from the ancient Mayan city of Lamanai, one of the longest occupied Mayan cities. Our guide Levy was both well-informed and passionate about the Mayan civilization and read aloud the temple inscriptions in the Mayan language. While not as spectacular as Tikal or Chichen Itza, it affords the unique experience of walking among and climbing temple ruins with no crowds. By the time we finished our exploration in the morning, the day trippers from the cruise ships were just beginning to arrive.
During our stay at Lamanai, we took dawn canoe trips and walks, sunset cocktail cruises on the lagoon, night walks and night spotlight safaris by boat where we saw crocodiles and nocturnal birds. There’s much to see and remember about Lamanai – the well-informed naturalist guides, the amazing moonrise over the lagoon, the stunning variety of birds in the marsh, and the unforgettable sound of the monkeys.
Jess was so helpful in talking me through some of the trip options I'd told her I was interested in, and then also bringing up similar alternatives with more flexible dates. Now that everything is booked I realize all the extra things she figured out for us as well, besides booking the transfers from and to each location, she realized that we wouldn't make it to my desired flight time on three departure date and was able to easily add another day so that even our departure day is stress free!
Wendy
2 months ago
Good candid advice and suggestions; prompt replies.
Ken Johnson
2 months ago
Thoughtful and highly responsive service.
Robert Shwab
4 months ago
The trip planner understood what we wanted to do and see, and found what we hope to be a great match for our interests and style of travel.
Karen
6 months ago
Basically everything. The transfers from lodge to lodge were all timely and smooth (even though we arrived 3 hours late!) with great drivers. The lodges and food were all top notch. The guides were excellent and very knowledgeable about local history and wildlife. Chaa lodge stands out as exceptional. I ended up with an infection leaving Chaa, but they arranged for driver to stop at doctor, and he even got us to a pharmacy for prescription and a great drive to coast.